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She rubbed her eyes and sighed. “I feel more like a caveman.”

“You’re that too,” he said. “You’re my cave mama.”

Brenda smiled at him and took a bite. With each sip and swallow she became more human. “Is it Tuesday?” she asked.

He laughed. “Yeah. Dad comes home tomorrow. Doesn’t he?”

She shook her head. “He called last night and said he wouldn’t be back until Friday.”

“Oh.” That made it even more impressive that she hadn’t drunk too much the night before. She really was trying!

“I might be a little later than usual tonight,” Brenda added. “The regional manager is in the office this week. She wants us to have a ‘sales orientation’ and likes the sound of her own voice. As if we need tips on how to sell a house. You literally just unlock the door and let people see if they like it or not.”

Cameron snorted. “Sounds about as fun as our pep rallies.”

“Jesus,” Brenda breathed, “I never could stand those.”

“Me neither. I’ll also be later than usual.”

“Oh? Is that why you’re wearing the cologne I bought you?”

“Ha! No. It’s my theater class. We’re past auditions and everything, so they actually need me now.” He checked the clock and stood. “We’ll see who gets home first.”

His mother watched him as he gathered up his plate. “I’m very proud of you,” she said. “Even though you’ve grown up much too quickly for my liking.”

“I’ll try to slow down,” he said with a smile. “Maybe it’ll help if I walk backward to school. By the time you see me tonight, I’ll be twelve again.”

“Not good enough,” Brenda replied. “Keep walking until you’re small enough for me to carry.”

He kissed her on the cheek before leaving the house. The route to school only took fifteen minutes. He didn’t make it thirty seconds before thinking of Skylar. Or Anthony, as he was really known. The name had a nice ring to it. He found himself resisting the urge to like it, in case he ended up getting hurt. Their encounter at Liberty Memorial had been brief but emotional. For them both, it had appeared.

He remembered seeing Anthony sitting on the park bench, his face pale as he chewed his bottom lip while looking around with a vulnerable expression. And when those watery green eyes met his, there had been recognition. They went to the same school, which neither of them had expected. He liked to thinkthatwas the reason Anthony had reacted the way he did. Cameron understood what it meant to be in the closet—how you had to be on high alert, ready to deny the truth if anyone should glimpse it. But part of him worried that Anthony had been disappointed by what he saw.

He smoothed down his hair as he crossed a street, only for the wind to ruffle it again. Usually he didn’t worry about his appearance much. Cameron’s mother always told him he was handsome, and a handful of girls had expressed an interest over the years. But that didn’t mean Anthony found him attractive. Everyone had a type. Maybe he was only into redheads. That would explain what Whitney had told him yesterday, when he’d brought up Anthony during the theater class they both shared.

“You should ask Mindy about him,” Whitney had advised. “They sit together. Oh! And they used to go out.”

“Anthony and Mindy?”

“Yeah! He squirted ketchup all over her during their date or something.” Whitney had laughed before adding, “Maybe that’s why they broke up?”

Cameron hadn’t been sure what to think of that. He decided not to ask Mindy about it, understanding how delicate such things could be for someone who was still in the closet.

But it’s not like Anthony hadn’t had a boyfriend before, back in Colorado. That was another thing. Cameron could have sworn that Anthony had lived in Pride longer than he claimed. And if he had so much previous experience with a guy, then why hadhe gotten so jumpy when they met in person? Unless his online persona was a complete fabrication. That wouldn’t be so unusual. Computers made it all too easy to pretend you were someone else.

He swallowed when the school came into view, realizing just how foolish he was being. The guy he intended to confront during lunch was probably a liar, and there was a good chance that he didn’t find Cameron attractive. Anyone else in this situation would probably avoid Anthony at this point. The only problem was that Cameron also had a type. Slender and shy. He had been anythingbutdisappointed when seeing Anthony sitting there on the bench. Or when standing in front of him yesterday. So yeah, he was almost certainly setting himself up to get hurt. And yet, he couldn’t resist giving it one more try. No matter what it cost him.

— — —

Cameron made a pitstop in the restrooms nearest the school cafeteria to check his appearance. He was wearing a burgundy button-up shirt with blue jeans, so it wouldn’t appear as if he was trying too hard. His thick brown hair resisted any sort of style, so it was brushed to the side as usual. The blue eyes he saw in the mirror seemed to question if he really wanted to go through with this.

“Third time’s the charm?” he said to his reflection, not intending it to come out as a question. “Only one way to find out,” he responded to himself.

“You really need to make some friends,” a guy said as he opened one of the bathroom stalls.

Cameron made a big show of looking at him in the mirror while turning around a few times. “Wow!” he said. “Identical twins! Just like us!”

The guy scoffed before leaving the room.